


Cut across

by apathyinreverie



Series: Crack the skies [2]
Category: Bleach, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Married Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:53:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25102735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apathyinreverie/pseuds/apathyinreverie
Summary: Alec is fairly sure that the orange-haired teenager settled at their kitchen table, munching on some toast and rather grumpily paging through one of Magnus’ ancient tomes, is just as surprised at his sudden appearance as Alec himself is at finding a complete stranger in his and Magnus' kitchen.
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Kurosaki Ichigo, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Crack the skies [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818058
Comments: 38
Kudos: 389





	Cut across

The first time Alec meets Ichigo, he himself is barely awake, on his way to the kitchen to find some coffee, and already grumpy from having woken alone in his and Magnus’ bed, thus having to go without his usual morning cuddles.

The cuddles, of course, being entirely for Magnus’ sake, not Alec’s. Obviously.

Anyway.

Point is, he had a few ridiculously long days this week, exhausting meetings and yet another almost-catastrophe-nearing-apocalyptic-proportions to be averted – nothing unusual there, but saving the world on a regular basis still remains a rather tiring task – and he’s got today off to catch up on some sleep. Hence, him having been dead to the world for a couple of hours. So much so that he apparently missed his husband getting out of bed.

Alec wanders into the kitchen, bleary-eyed and kind of hoping against hope he’ll find Magnus conveniently standing right by the coffee machine, so he won’t have to exert the effort of actually searching for his husband.

Despite his exhaustion, it takes him barely an instance to come fully alert when he realizes that there is a complete stranger in his kitchen.

Although, he thinks the orange-haired teenager settled at their kitchen table, munching on some toast and rather grumpily paging through one of Magnus’ ancient tomes, is just as surprised to see him here as Alec is.

He tenses as they blink at each other, and Alec notes to himself with honest surprise that the kid seems just as instantly ready-to-fight as he himself is.

It takes him barely another second to realize, that as young as this kid may look – late teens at most, nowhere near his twenties yet – this guy is so far beyond the life experience of a teenager, it’s almost laughable.

He has the eyes of a soldier. One who has seen so many battles he doesn’t quite know how to shut off his battle instincts any longer.

Well, damn.

This is definitely one of Magnus’ strays. Yet another one of those almost-broken, not-quite-whole people, Alec’s husband seems to forever draw in so very effortlessly, giving them help in whatever way he can, if only to help them keep themselves together, whether it just be a bed to crash in for a night, healing, food, simple company, or just a place to rest. Somewhere to escape to when the rest of the world demands too much and offers too little in return.

And every time he meets one of them, it reminds Alec of a time not too long ago when he himself lived for following each Clave order to the letter, obedience and duty and responsibilities, his siblings the only bright thing in his life, the only thing truly his.

So, he can more than sympathize with each and every single one of Magnus’ strays and why they choose to seek out Magnus whenever their own strength just doesn’t quite suffice to make it through to the next day.

Alec more than gets it. And he could never begrudge anyone the reassurance of having Magnus in their corner.

“Oh,” the guy then mumbles at him around the toast still in his mouth, some of the tension in his shoulders relaxing once more. “You must be the husband.”

And then he goes right back to reading the text in front of him, clearly just as interested in smalltalk as Alec himself is.

Alec is honestly grateful that he isn't forced into some sort of conversation, and - knowing that the wards around the loft will ever let anyone through who hasn't been specifically invited inside by either Magnus or himself - he honestly can't really be bothered to poke at the guy right now.

The only thing he wants right now is a cup of coffee. And finding his husband for a good morning kiss.

Beyond that, Alec honestly couldn't care less at the moment.

Explanations can come after.

+++

He finds Magnus in his study.

The smile tilting his lips upon seeing Alec in the doorway is immediate, bright and warm and delighted, the look in his eyes so very tender and full of love. They’ve been married for almost two years now and the way Magnus looks at him, the way he smiles whenever he sees Alec, is still the same.

Alec has thought more than once that he could absolutely _live_ for that smile.

Magnus is already making his way over to him before he leans in for a good morning kiss.

“Good morning, darling,” his husband greets warmly, still leaning into his space and Alec easily curls an arm around his waist to pull him in a little closer and to make sure he doesn't so much as think about stepping away. “Slept well?”

“Hn,” Alec agrees vaguely, face buried in Magnus' neck, happy to stay just like this for a little while, as Magnus' hand comes up to brush softly through the hair at the back of his head.

They stay like that for a few of minutes, soft and relaxed, and Alec can feel himself finally waking fully. Like he said, coffee and a good morning kiss from his husband. Those are the two things he is not willing to do without in the morning any longer.

Finally, he slightly untucks his face from Magnus' neck, presses a kiss to the skin there, but stays wrapped around his husband as he notes, "There is a stranger in our kitchen." 

"Oh right," Magnus replies. "That's Ichigo. His mother was a dear friend of mine." A pause. "He stopped by to research something."

There is an uncharacteristic sort of hesitation in Magnus' voice which immediately has Alec pull back a little, enough so he can actually look at him.

Magnus meets his eyes. Then, he tilts his head slightly and kind-of-explains, "Ichigo is one of the most self-sufficient people I've ever met, has been ever since he was a child. He only ever stops by when he simply can't think of anywhere else to go, and even then he only comes here while offering some sort of excuse for his visit." Magnus shakes his head, something frustrated and despairing in the gesture. "So, he told me he needs to research something this time," he says sardonically, clearly not having believed that particular excuse in the least. Finally, he sighs, the look in his eyes honestly sad. "And I _know_ there is something going on with him, but he won’t tell me what it is or whether I could help in any way."

Alec nods slowly, tightens his arm around Magnus' waist, hates the almost forlorn look in his husband's eyes. It’s instances like this where he can never quite decide whether he adores Magnus' soft heart that makes him care for every single person he meets, or hate it for that very same reason.

"I got that impression. He seems...," Alec casts around for the right word but finally just settles on, "He looks _tired_."

Because there quite simply isn't a word that could possibly describe the utter, soul-deep exhaustion he had seen in the kid's eyes even in those few brief moments they had interacted.

"Hm, he does," Magnus hums in agreement. Before something dark and frustrated bleeds into his voice as he adds, "And I can't even go get myself some answers elsewhere, seeing as I have absolutely no jurisdiction in the matters of shinigami."

Alec frowns slightly.

_The matters of the **what** now?_

+++

So.

Apparently, there actually is such a thing as grim reapers, an entire afterlife version over in Japan that's completely separate from anything Alec has ever known. Something about souls and rebirth and punishment and god-like powers and monsters born from the souls of man.

The main thing Alec really took away from Magnus’ brief explanation is that shinigami are part of some ancient kind of system – similar to the Clave and Shadowhunters in that regard – but while they do protect the living if necessary, their main role is to police how the souls of the dead are handled.

And that the shinigami are organized in a sort of military government, the implications of which already enough to guess at where Ichigo's current troubles may stem from. Because military government means hierarchies. And there is no hierarchy in this world that hasn't been tested at least once by someone trying to topple it.

Though, most notably, during Magnus described shinigami in general as rather eccentric. For Magnus to call anything 'eccentric'… Yeah, that’s honestly more than a little disconcerting.

+++

Magnus strong-arms Ichigo into having lunch with them and after a bit of grumbling the kid gives in, despite his general grumpiness actually seems to have perfect manners as a guest.

Well, he is also blunt, rather notably so. Ichigo speaks very little but when he does say something he seems utterly unwilling to mince his words about anything, straightforward in a way that Alec finds not only refreshing but that honestly reminds him of himself.

Case in point.

“Ichigo’s mother was a lovely woman and a truly wonderful friend,” Magnus says over lunch. “I honestly adored her sense of humor. Even if her taste in men was somewhat… _questionable_.”

“You can say _that_ again,” Ichigo snorts, utterly unconcerned by the implications of that assessment. “I still don’t get how anyone could possibly want to marry my old man.”

Magnus quirks a grin in reply and even Alec can’t help but be amused by the bluntness. Though, going by the way Magnus is now glancing between the two of them, his husband seems to be drawing a few parallels between them as well.

“The two of you actually have quite a few things in common,” Magnus is asserting cheerfully, still glancing between Alec and Ichigo. “Including your tendency of toppling and/or reforming century-old institutions for those you care about.”

Alec blinks.

_Now, **that** sounds interesting_, he thinks.

And going by the look Ichigo is giving him now, he is clearly thinking along similar lines.

“Not to even mention your… _persistence_ once you make up your minds on something, whether something is supposed to be impossible or not,” Magnus adds on.

Alec just quirks an eyebrow at that.

They've had this discussion before, and Alec thinks Magnus really shouldn’t be throwing stones when talking about bending-reality-to-his-whims-for-those-he-loves. No matter what Alec might have done or accomplished at some point, he thinks it doesn’t really compare to Magnus.

Like, you know, Magnus temporarily taking over an entire realm of hell just to protect everyone up on earth. Talk about 'supposedly impossible'.

Alec restructuring the Clave just so that his warlock husband would be allowed to move to Idris with him seems rather minor in comparison.

If anything, Alec thinks the blame for his own tendency to simply ignore should-dos or shouldn’t-dos can be laid squarely at Magnus’ feet. Alec was a wonderfully obedient soldier right up until the point Magnus came along. Well, most of the time at least.

Anyway.

Going by Ichigo’s skeptically raised eyebrow as he watches Magnus, Alec is getting the definite feeling his husband might have been involved in the kid’s life in a somewhat less-than-ordinary manner as well.

“You might actually find it interesting to spar,” Magnus just contemplates out loud, cheerfully ignoring the humorously incredulous looks being directed at him. “Your styles are pretty different but you might both as well be fused with your swords, the way you handle those things.”

And, okay, _that_ definitely gets Alec Ichigo’s full attention.

Alec tilts his head in thought.

It’s been a while since he got to spar with anyone whose style Alec not only doesn’t already know inside and out but also didn’t teach himself. Going up against a skilled opponent with a completely unknown style actually sounds like a wonderful way to spend his day off.

+++

“Stick to unaugmented fighting please.” Magnus eyes them both where they are standing in the training area behind their house in Alicante.

Magnus is about to take off, having received a fire message a couple of minutes ago, requesting his presence as the High Warlock, so he is on his way through a portal.

But clearly he doesn't trust the two of them to leave Alicante standing in his absence, because he then fixes his stare on Alec, asserting, “No runes." Before turning towards Ichigo, “And definitely no reiatsu.” Then, he actually points at the kid, “I mean it, Ichigo. I would very much like to avoid having to deal with each and every single ghost in the entire city once more congregating at my place of residence, having been drawn here by you wanting to ‘try something real quick’.”

Ichigo snorts, a barely-there sound but the amused fondness Alec can see in his eyes definitely real, as he nods at Magnus.

Who promptly gives him a warm smile, a quick kiss for Alec, and then he is through the door.

By the time Alec turns back, Ichigo is watching him with that sort of anticipatory, attentive focus that Alec knows far too well. Yeah, he is getting the definite impression that he won’t have to hold back while fighting this kid at all.

So, Alec reaches for his seraph blade, its glow briefly catching Ichigo’s attention.

“Fancy,” the kid comments, before he reaches towards his own back, promptly pulling a stupidly large sword out of literally nowhere.

Alec raises his eyebrows. _How convenient_.

“Impressive,” Alec returns in the same not-quite-amused tone while he eyes the truly humongous blade in the kids hands.

Ichigo grins, swings his sword forward – just that one perfectly smooth movement showing how perfectly in-control of the blade he is – as something focused and intent and definitely eager for a good spar shimmers through his eyes.

It’s the most animated Alec has seen the kid be so far.

Yeah, definitely an experienced fighter.

So, Alec lowers his center, notes Ichigo mirroring his movement across from him.

A second. Two.

And then, without any sort of signal they drive forward.

+++

When Magnus returns about forty-five minutes later, he finds them lying sprawled a few feet apart on the ground. He shakes his head at them in amusement, even as he easily settles to sit on the ground between them, lips tilted into a smile.

They are both still trying to catch their breath from the spar, neither of them seriously injured, even if Alec knows he will have to use iratze later in order to heal the bruise already forming on his left side.

That move Ichigo had pulled when Alec had been forced to give him an opening in order to parry another attack, had been kind of amazing.

He also honestly hopes Ichigo has something like an iratze to similarly heal himself from that rather brutal hit to his ribs Alec got in at one point.

They did stick to entirely unenhanced fighting, just skill against skill. But, angel, if the kid hadn’t been able to fully keep up with Alec.

“That was fun,” Ichigo finally comments, face directed towards the sky, something almost peaceful in his voice now that definitely hadn’t been there before. Alec is glad to hear it.

“Yeah,” he returns with a slight grin of his own. “Good sparring partners are so very hard to come by. Feel free to stop by whenever you feel like a repeat.”

“Hm,” Ichigo hums in return, expression calm, almost serene as he keeps watching the sky stretching out above them, but from the corner of his eye Alec can see the slightest grin quirking at the corners of his mouth.

And so what, if Alec’s offer of another honest, just-for-the-sake-of-it fight might even be enough of an excuse in the kid's eyes to maybe return here a little sooner than he might have allowed himself otherwise. Self-sufficiency can be its own sort of curse – as Alec well knows from experience – and if Ichigo needs an excuse to allow himself to come here, to permit himself some rest, then Alec is more than happy to provide him with just that.

Between them, Magnus just shakes his head at the two of them in mock despair, even as he reaches out to run a hand through the hair at the top of Alec’s head. “I should have known it would be a bad idea to introduce the two of you,” he sighs humorously.

But the smile he gives Alec is beautiful and bright and something definitely grateful tucked in at its edges.

Alec tilts his head back to better meet his eyes, even as he simply smiles back at his husband.

Never let it be said, that Alec doesn’t fully support Magnus' penchant for giving any strays he comes across a place to go, somewhere to rest, to escape to, a place to hide from the world for a bit.

And, if they need it, maybe even a place to call home.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the fic that originally started the entire animexSH crossover collection thing for me, so I thought I might as well post this one as well. And I just left the Clave vs the Gotei 13 as two entirely separate systems with different functions existing in different parts of the world, despite admittedly having quite a bit of worldbuilding in my head for blending the two 'verses... But for once I actually managed to simply keep it entirely out of the fic itself.
> 
> Would love to know what you think :D


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